“Ocian in view! Oh! The Joy!,” William Clark wrote in his journal on November 7, 1805 as he viewed what he believed was the Pacific Ocean, as the Corps of Discovery reached the broad estuary of the Columbia River, 20 miles from the coast.

Clark’s exhilaration on reaching the destination the Corps had dreamed of for thousands of treacherous miles is the pure emotion of joy that the editors of True West believe our readers—whether first-time visitors or seasoned Western adventurers—discover, and rediscover, when they travel across the American West.

True West’s “Ultimate Travel Guide” encourages treks to the West’s greatest heritage sites, where you can actually stand and experience where history happened. The editorial staff at True West invites you to “saddle up” and travel with us to discover the West together—in the hope we’ll inspire your own ultimate Western adventure—and to make some history of your own.

THE PACIFIC COAST

California, Idaho, Nevada, Oregon and Washington

From the Sierra Nevada to the San Juan Islands, from the Columbia River Gorge to Death Valley, the Pacific Coast Region is a land of vast horizons, deep, lush valleys and long snowcapped mountain ranges. The natural beauty, vast distances and diversity of the geology and history of the five states inspire wonderment and admiration for those who lived, explored and settled the region in the centuries before trains, automobiles and airplanes. The heritage of the area is defined by the Pacific Ocean, seemingly endless mountain ranges and the continent’s most arid deserts. The Pacific Coast Region is home to dozens of the nation’s most recognizable parks, monuments and historic sites, and travelers to the five states find themselves following the trails of explorers, adventurers and pioneers, while walking in the footsteps of missionaries, mountain men and miners.

CALIFORNIA

Bodie State Historic Park

Visitors who walk the silent streets of Bodie State Historic Park, set amidst the sagebrush of the Sierra Nevada foothills northeast of Yosemite, will discover the real West amid the 170 buildings that remain preserved in one of California’s most notorious mining camps.

The park is northeast of Yosemite, 13 miles east of Highway 395 on Bodie Road (Hwy 270), seven miles south of Bridgeport.

760-647-6445 • Parks.CA.gov

Death Valley National Park

Founded as a monument in 1933, Death Valley National Park’s 3.33 million acres in California and Nevada make it the largest park outside of Alaska. Start your tour at the Furnace Creek Visitor Center to visit the nearby Harmony Borax Works and learn about the mineral bonanza that inspired the iconic 20-mule team borax wagons.

Highway 190, Death Valley, CA 92328

760-786-3200 • NPS.gov

Donner Memorial State Park

Honoring the tragic emigrant party, Donner Memorial State Park in Donner Pass includes a museum in the visitors center, and a monument dedicated to all the pioneers who traveled to the Golden State on the California Trail.

9 miles west of Truckee, California

530-582-7892 • Parks.CA.gov

El Alisal

Famed author and Western preservationist Charles F. Lummis hand-built his famed stone-cobbled home in northeast Los Angeles in the late 1890s and early 1900s. Follow up a Lummis house tour with a visit to the Autry Museum of the American West in nearby Griffith Park, and on Saturdays only, Lummis’s Historic Southwest Museum in Mt. Washington.

200 E Ave 43, Los Angeles, CA 90031

323-661-9465 • LAPARKS.org/Autry.org

Fort Humboldt State Historic Park

Founded in 1853, the outpost was once led by Capt. U.S. Grant, who found it so isolating he left the army after his posting at Humboldt. Shuttered in 1870, the fort today is open to visitors who can walk the grounds, including the last surviving building—the hospital, now a museum dedicated to army life and local tribal history.

3431 Fort Ave, Eureka, CA 95503

707-445-6547 • Parks.CA.gov

Lava Beds National Monument

Near the Oregon border east of Yreka, California, and south of Klamath Falls, Oregon, Lava Beds National Monument protects the battle sites of the Modoc War, including Captain Jack’s Stronghold.

1 Indian Well Campground Trail

Indian Well Hqts, CA 96134 • 530-667-8100 • NPS.gov

Lone Pine

Situated along the Eastern Sierra’s “Main Street” U.S. Highway 395, Lone Pine is a historic community first settled in the 1860s. In 1920, Hollywood producers filmed the Western The Last Roundup in Lone Pine, and since then over 400 movies and 100 television programs have been produced in and around the distinctive Alabama Hills.

120 South Main St, Lone Pine, CA 93545

760-876-4444 • LonePineFilmHistoryMuseum.org

Marshall Gold Discovery State Park

In the heart of “Mother Lode country,” Marshall Gold Discovery State Park near Caloma preserves the site where James W. Marshall found gold in the tailings of Sutter’s Mill in January 1848. A living history center, the park includes Marshall’s cabin and a replica of the original mill. Rangers and docents provide daily programs at the park. Visitors can even pan for gold.

310 Back St, Coloma, CA 95613

530-622-3470 • Parks.CA.gov

Old Sacramento

A national historic landmark district and state historic park, Old Sacramento is a living history center on the banks of the Sacramento River. Visitors can tour the California State Railroad Museum, The Delta King Riverboat, Huntington & Hopkins Hardware, Old Sacramento Schoolhouse Museum, Sacramento History Museum and the Wells Fargo History Museum. Passenger train rides can be enjoyed on the California State Railroad Museum’s Sacramento Southern Railroad, which departs from the reconstructed Central Pacific Freight Depot.

2nd St & Capitol Mall, Sacramento, CA 95814

916-808-7059 • OldSacramento.com

Old Town San Diego State Historic Park

Old Town San Diego State Historic Park celebrates and preserves the Spanish, Mexican and early American heritage of the city. Five original adobe buildings survive in the living history center.

Don’t miss an opportunity to stay and dine at

the historic Cosmopolitan Hotel.

4002 Wallace St, San Diego, CA 92110

619-220-5422 • Parks.CA.gov

Presidio of San Francisco

For 218 years, Spain, Mexico and then the

United States, garrisoned troops at the Presidio

of San Francisco. An active military post until 1994, the Presidio is part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area. Artillery and military architecture buffs will want to tour one of the nation’s finest collections of field armaments and historic buildings at any military park in the U.S.

California Hwy 1, San Francisco, CA 94123

415-561-4700 • NPS.gov

San Gabriel Mission

Padre Junipero Serra’s fourth mission, San Gabriel, was founded strategically between San Diego and San Carlos Borromeo in Monterey on September 8, 1771, and has been an active

parish for 245 years. Visitors should tour the museum and follow the self-guided tours of

the historic church and grounds—the same oasis that mountain man Jedediah Smith arrived at in 1826 after crossing the Mojave Desert from the east.

254 S Santa Anita St, San Gabriel, CA 91776

626-282-3181 • SanGabrielMissionChurch.org

Sonoma Barracks

The California Bear Flag Revolt began in June 1846 at the Sonoma Barracks. The restored barracks, across the street from Sonoma’s Mission San Francisco Solano, are a part of a park complex that includes General Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo’s home, the Toscano Hotel, the Servants Quarters and the Blue Wing Inn.

Spain Street & First Street East, Sonoma, CA 95476

707-935-6832 • Parks.CA.gov

Sutter’s Fort State Historic Park

In 1839, Swiss pioneer John Sutter received a land grant from Mexico to build a community he called New Helvetia near the confluence of the Sacramento and American rivers. Today, visitors can tour Sutter’s Fort State Historic Park, a living history center that includes the one of the most significant historic structures in the state, the fully restored Sutter’s Fort.

2701 L St, Sacramento, CA 95816

916-445-4422 • Parks.CA.gov

William S. Hart Ranch and Museum

Silent movie star William S. Hart’s Spanish Colonial Revival-style mansion, built on his ranch in 1910 in Newhall, north of Los Angeles, is dedicated to Hart’s life in the movies. Hart is famous for saying: “When I was making pictures, the people gave me their nickels, dimes and quarters. When I am gone, I want them to have my home.”

24151 Newhall Ave, Newhall, CA 91321

661-254-4584 • HartMuseum.org

Yosemite National Park

On June 30, 1864, President Abraham Lincoln signed the Yosemite Grant, protecting Yosemite Valley and the Mariposa Grove. A national park since 1890, Yosemite was a favorite of naturalist John Muir and President Theodore Roosevelt, and was originally patrolled by the U.S. Cavalry.

PO Box 577 Yosemite National Park, CA 95389

209-372-0200 • NPS.gov

IDAHO

Fort Hall Replica

New England entrepreneur Nathaniel Wyeth built Fort Hall in 1832 to support his fur trade business. The fort evolved to become a key crossroads and supply center on the Oregon Trail. Today, Fort Hall Replica, “the gateway to the Pacific,” is a living history center dedicated to Indian, fur trade and Oregon Trail history.

3000 Avenue of the Chiefs, Pocatello, ID 83204

208-234-1795 • FortHall.net

Idaho City

In Boise Basin, Idaho City was the “Queen of the Gold Camps,” the center of the richest gold strikes in the history of the American Northwest in the 1860s. Today, visitors to the village can walk the boardwalks of the boomtown and visit numerous historic buildings, including the Boise Basin Historical Museum housed in the original post office built in 1867.

208-392-4159 • IdahoCity.org

Nez Perce National Historical Park

A multi-state national park, Nez Perce National Historical Park has six sites in Idaho, as well. The Spalding Site, near Lapwai, is the headquarters of the park, and has visitors center and museum.

39063 U.S. 95, Lapwai, ID 83540

208-843-7009 • NPS.gov

Old Fort Boise

Originally a Hudson Bay outpost at the confluence of the Boise and Snake rivers, a small monument marks the site of the Old Fort Boise in the Fort Boise Wildlife Management Area. A replica of the old fort was built as a living history center in Parma, and includes a museum and a pioneer cabin.

Parma, ID 83660

208-722-5210 • OldFortBoise.com

Coeur d’ Alene’s Old Mission State Park

Built by Catholic Jesuit missionaries and local Coeur d’ Alene Indians between 1850 and 1853, the Mission of the Sacred Heart at Coeur d’ Alene’s Old Mission State Park is the oldest building in Idaho. Tour the mission, a restored parish house and the historic cemetery. Exhibits interpret the history of Catholic missionary efforts in the Rocky Mountains.

3715 E 3200 N, Hansen, ID 83334

208-432-4000 • ParksAndRecreation.Idaho.gov

Rock Creek Station

An Idaho Historical Society living history center, Rock Creek Station and the Stricker Home were built in 1865. An important transportation hub along the Oregon Trail south of Hansen, the historic trail stop also includes a pioneer cemetery and interpretive center.

3715 E 3200 N, Hansen, ID 83334

208-432-4000 • History.Idaho.gov

Salmon

Salmon is a jewel in the valley near the confluence of the Salmon and Lehmi rivers along the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail on U.S. 93. A traditional home of the Shoshone tribe, the City of Salmon’s Sacajawea Interpretive, Cultural and Educational Center is dedicated to the heritage and history of the region.

208-756-2100 • VisitSalmonValley.com

Wallace

Located in the richest silver district in American history, Wallace is in the Silver Valley of Shoshone County in Idaho’s northern panhandle. Start your walking tour of the Wallace Historic District at the Wallace District Mining Museum, and continue on to the Oasis Bordello Museum and the Northern Pacific Depot Museum. Don’t leave town without taking the Sierra Silver Mine Tour.

208-753-7151 • Wallace-ID.com

Land of Yankee Fork State Park

One of Idaho’s premier historic state parks, Land of Yankee Fork State Park in Round Valley has numerous historic sites, including three ghost towns—Bayhorse, Bonanza and Custer—and the Yankee Fork Gold Dredge; plus the Shoshone Indian mid-1800s Challis Bison Kill site. Visitors should start in Challis at the interpretive center before touring the park.

Junction of US 93 and SH 75, Challis, ID

208-879-5244 • ParksAndRecreation.Idaho.gov

NEVADA

California Trail Interpretive Center

Ever wondered what it was like to cross the nation in a Conestoga wagon? Or walk across the continent to find your bonanza of gold in California? The California Trail Interpretive Center near Elko will answer all your questions with outstanding exhibitions and regular living history events.

1 Interpretive Center Way, Elko, NV 89801

775-738-1849 • CaliforniaTrailCenter.org

Carson City Historic District

Named after famed Westerner Kit Carson by the city’s founder Abraham V.Z. Curry in 1858, Carson City quickly became a crossroads of emigrants, prospectors, soldiers and entrepreneurs following the California Trail. Chosen as the territorial capital city in 1861, Carson City has one of the most extensive historic districts, including the Capitol grounds, Nevada State Railroad Museum and Nevada State Museum in the former U.S. Mint, and a neighborhood of the Silver State’s 19th-century homes, which visitors can enjoy by taking the self-guided Blue Line Trail. Day trips from Carson City should include visits to Nevada’s oldest settlement, Genoa, and the historic town of Dayton.

775-577-2345 • VisitCarsonCity.com

Fort Churchill State Historic Park

When settlement expanded in Nevada in the late 1850s, the Army built a series of forts across the Central Overland Route in the territory to protect settlers, mail carriers, freight trains and emigrants traveling the new central route across the Great Basin. Fort Churchill State Historic Park has an excellent walking tour of the ruins of the fort, which was posted with troops from 1860 to 1869.

Silver Springs, NV 89429

775-577-2345 • Parks.NV.gov

Old Las Vegas Mormon Fort State Historic Park

In the shadow of the neon lights and towering casinos of the Las Vegas Strip stands Old Las Vegas Mormon Fort State Historic Park, an Old West living history center dedicated to the Mormon missionaries’ community built in 1855. While the first American settlement at Vegas Springs only lasted until 1857, the settlement left behind became the humble beginnings of the internationally famous desert city.

500 E Washington Ave, Las Vegas, NV 89101

702-486-3511 • Parks.NV.gov

Tonapah Historic Mining Park

Interested in Old West mining history? Take a slow drive from Las Vegas to the Tonapah Historic Mining Park on U.S. 95 and plan on numerous stops at the ghost towns of Rhyolite near Beatty, Gold Point near Lida, and Goldfield and Belmont outside of Tonapah. In addition to the mining park, Tonapah also has a walking tour of its historic buildings.

110 Burro Ave, Tonopah, NV 89049

775-482-9274 • TonapahHistoricMiningPark.com

Virginia City

In the desert hills between Reno and Carson City, one of the richest silver strikes in U.S. history, the Comstock Lode, rocketed Nevada from territory to statehood. Today, Virginia City is a virtual Victorian-era heritage center, with numerous historic sites, museums and buildings. Don’t miss the Storey County Courthouse, Piper Opera House, Virginia & Truckee Railroad, the Comstock Mill, Ponderosa Mine Tour, Mark Twain Museum and the Comstock Fire Museum. A great way to see the historic mining camp is aboard the Virginia City Trolley tour.

775-847-1114 • VirginiaCityNV.com

Ward Charcoal Ovens State Historic Park

After visiting the historic mining community of Ely, Nevada, located on U.S. 50 (“the loneliest road in America”), including an excursion on the historic passenger trains of the Nevada Northern Railway Museum, travel southeast to a unique site from Nevada’s storied mining history—the Ward Charcoal Ovens. The thirty-foot-high kilns were built to support the smelting operations of lead in the long-gone mining town of Ward.

Ely, NV 89315

775-289-1693 • Parks.NV.gov

OREGON

The Dalles

A tribal fishing center and crossroads of the Columbia River history for centuries, The Dalles developed as an American community at the terminus of the Oregon Trail and launching point for emigrant rafting parties down the river to the Willamette River Valley. While an alternate overland route was built over the Blue Mountains and around Mt. Hood to Oregon City, The Dalles remained an important economic and transportation hub. Today, visitors should begin their visit at Fort Dalles and then tour the world-class Columbia River Gorge Discovery Center.

404 W. 2nd St, The Dalles, OR 97058 • 541-296-2231

TheDallesChamber.com/HistoricTheDalles.org

Fort Clatsop National Memorial

Lewis and Clark National Historical Park has sites on both sides of the Columbia River in Oregon and Washington as it nears the Pacific Ocean, including Fort Clatsop National Memorial, the winter encampment of the Corps of Discovery. The centerpiece of Fort Clatsop, just south of the historic port city Astoria, is the replica of the fort that is supported by a very active ranger program with period-costumed presentations throughout the summer and a visitors center.

92343 Fort Clatsop Rd, Astoria, OR 97103

503- 861-2471 • NPS.gov

Fort Stevens State Park

At the mouth of the Columbia River, a visitor to Fort Stevens State Park can watch the modern ships ply the Columbia River Bar, one of the most treacherous navigations that has claimed over 2,000 ships, earning it the moniker “graveyard of the Pacific.” Because it was an active fort from the Civil War through World War II, a tour of the park’s historic sites reveals Fort Stevens’ nearly 90 years of history. After a tour of the park, visit Astoria’s Columbia River Maritime Museum to learn about the dramatic history of sailing and shipping on the Columbia River.

100 Peter Iredale Rd, Hammond, OR 97121

503-861-3170 • OregonStateParks.org/CRMM.org

Historic Oregon City

Oregon City welcomes visitors to its historic park, educational history center and museum, like it welcomed the trail-weary Oregon Trail travelers who survived the transcontinental trip and the final leg—the descent over the Cascade Range past Mt. Hood into the Willamette Valley. Tour the Visitor Center, End of the Oregon Trail Interpretive Center, the Country Store and the Heritage Garden. While in Oregon City, plan on extra time to visit the historic Barclay, McLoughlin and Holmes Houses, and tour downtown.

1726 Washington St, Oregon City, OR 97405

503-657-9336 • HistoricOregonCity.org/NPS.gov

Oregon Trail National Trail Center

Near Baker City, the Bureau of Land Management’s Oregon Trail National Trail Center is dedicated to interpreting history through exhibits and ranger-led programs, many in period costume, explaining the history and experiences of the thousands of emigrants who made the overland journey across the country on the Oregon Trail.

22267 OR-86, Baker City, OR 97814

541-523-1843 • OregonTrail.BLM.gov

Pendleton

Pendleton is world famous for the Pendleton Round-Up, a rodeo equally known for its action in the arena as well as its dedication to the local Indian cultures and American settlement history of the Umatilla River Valley. Visitors will enjoy touring the Pendleton Woolen Mills, Round-Up and Happy Canyon Hall of Fame Museum, Heritage Station Museum and Tamástslikt Cultural Institute. Before leaving town, don’t miss Hamley’s & Co., a famous saddle and Western wear shop downtown, in business since 1883.

501 S. Main, Pendleton, OR 97801

541-276-7411 • TravelPendleton.com

Pioneer Courthouse

The oldest federal building in the Pacific Northwest and second-oldest west of the Mississippi, the Pioneer Courthouse in Pioneer Square in Portland was started in 1869. Just down the street is the Oregon Historical Society Museum, with the most comprehensive exhibits on the heritage, history and diverse cultures that have defined Oregon history.

700 SW 6th Ave, Portland, OR 97204

503-833-5300 • PioneerCourthouse.org

WASHINGTON

Cape Disappointment State Park

On Washington’s Long Beach Peninsula at the mouth of the Columbia River across from Fort Stevens State Park in Oregon, Cape Disappointment State Park is a beautiful place to walk in the footsteps of Lewis and Clark’s Corps of Discovery. Take a tour of the Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center and learn about their expedition and local Native culture. Also, don’t miss a hike out to the North Head Lighthouse, built in 1897-’98, that is still aiding ships navigating the Columbia River Bar.

244 Robert Gray Dr, Ilwaco, WA 98624

360-642-3078 • Parks.WA.gov

Fort Columbia State Historical Park

East of Cape Disappointment and part of the national and state park consortium of the Lewis and Clark National Historical Park, Columbia State Historical Park at the Chinook Point Historical Landmark was a U.S. Army Coastal Artillery fort from 1896 to 1947. Visitors will enjoy touring the historic officer’s house, the observation station and an interpretive center.

612 E. Reserve St, Vancouver, WA 98661

360- 816-6230 • Parks.WA.gov

Fort Vancouver National Historic Site

Fort Vancouver National Historic Site in Vancouver, Washington, is a significant British and American outpost in the Northwest. The English Hudson Bay Company built the fort in 1824 and until the 1840s it was the largest European community on the West Coast. The U.S. Army occupied the fort in 1849 and until 2011 maintained an Army Reserve and Washington National Guard unit at the base. Visitors will enjoy the museum and living history programs, which tell the fascinating story of the fur trade and settlement of the Northwest.

612 E. Reserve St, Vancouver, WA 98661

360-816-6230 • Northwest. NPS.gov

Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park

The Seattle unit of the Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park complements the park’s sites in Skagway, Alaska, in interpreting the 1898 gold rush that was the greatest mineral bonanza on the West Coast since the California Gold Rush of 1849. The park’s visitors center, located within the Pioneer Square National Historic District in downtown Seattle, has a series of permanent and temporary exhibitions interpreting the history of the stampede to the Klondike, as well as walking tours, and living history programs.

319 2nd Ave S, Seattle, WA 98104 • 206-220-4240 • NPS.gov

San Juan Island National Historical Park

Located in Puget Sound, San Juan Island National Historical Park interprets the conflict that almost drew Great Britain and the United States into war over the death of a pig in 1859. The American Camp Visitor Center and the English Camp Visitor Center provide historical interpretation of the history of the island and the international dispute over the San Juan Islands.

4668 Cattle Point Road, Friday Harbor, WA 98250

360-378-2240 • NPS.gov

Steptoe Battlefield State Park

The Steptoe Battlefield State Park commemorates a May 1858 battle between Colonel Edward Steptoe’s U.S. troops and a combined force of Spokane, Palouse, Coeur d’Alene, and Yakama tribes. The 160 soldiers, on a march from Fort Walla Walla to Fort Colville, were surprised by the Indians and forced to retreat through a series of skirmishes, barely escaping. The four-acre park near Rosalia has a monument to the battle and interpretive signs telling the story of the conflict.

S. Summit Loop, Rosalia, WA 99170

509-337-6457 • Parks.WA.gov

Whitman Mission National Historic Site

The Whitman Mission National Historic Site preserves and interprets the location of a significant settlement and event in U.S. Western history. One of Oregon Territory’s first emigrant parties from the Eastern United States were Methodist missionaries Dr. Marcus and Mrs. Narcissa Prentiss Whitman, who arrived in 1836. The Whitmans’ Mission was the site of the Whitman Massacre in 1847, a controversial event that dramatically changed the course of history in the American Northwest between settlers and local tribes. After touring the mission grounds, take a short drive to Walla Walla and tour Fort Walla Walla Museum for interactive exhibits and living history programs on the fort and region’s history.

328 Whitman Mission Rd, Walla Walla, WA 99362

509-522-6360 • NPS.gov/FWWM.org

THE DESERT SOUTHWEST

Arizona, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas

From the Grand Canyon to the Texas Gulf Coast, from the Rio Grande River Valley to Oklahoma’s endless grasslands, the Desert Southwest Region is a land of sky islands, spectacular canyon lands, plains and prairies, unforgiving deserts and rugged mountains. The natural beauty, vast distances, and diversity of cultures in the regions will inspire the visitor to gain a greater understanding of how the aridity of the Sonoran and Chihuahuan deserts has influenced the Indian, Hispanic and American settlement of the region. The Desert Southwest Region is home to many of the nations’ most recognizable geologic landmarks, ancient pueblos, monuments and historic sites, but also some of its oldest Indian and Hispanic communities. Visitors to the four states will quickly find themselves on the trails of conquistadores and explorers, cowboys and cavalry, and walking in the footsteps of ancient peoples, Indian nations, homesteaders and prospectors.

ARIZONA

Battle of Big Dry Wash Site

In July 1882, the last bloody battle between Army regulars and the Apache tribe took place north of Payson and is commemorated by a marker built in the 1930s by the U.S. Forest Service and the Civilian Conservation Corps. To visit the battle site from Payson, drive north on Highway 87 through Pine and Strawberry to the Rim Road, Forest Road 300. Turn right and drive east to the Battle of Big Dry Wash Historical Marker near General Springs.

Battle of Big Dry Wash Site, Payson, AZ

928-472-5110 • RimCountryMuseums.com

Camp Verde State Historic Park

Founded in 1865, Camp Verde State Historic Park is a living history center that commemorates and honors the history of the Army and the conflict with the Yavapai and Western Apaches during the American settlement of Central Arizona.

125 E Hollamon St, Camp Verde, AZ 86322

928-567-3275 • AZStateParks.com

Canyon de Chelly National Monument

Located in the heart of the Navajo Reservation, Canyon de Chelly National Monument is home to the traditional clans who have lived in the specatacular canyon for generations. Tour the national monument, above and below the canyon, with special guided tours of the park, and learn about the Canyon’s importance to Navajo culture, and the tragic years during the tribe’s incarceration at Bosque Redondo in New Mexico.

Fort Apache Historic Park

A key outpost during the U.S. Army’s conflict with the Apaches from the 1860s to the 1880s, today the White Mountain Apache Tribe, with assistance from the Fort Apache Heritage Foundation, maintains The Fort Apache and Theodore Roosevelt National Historic Landmark. With historical and cultural exhibitions on tribal history, plus a museum shop the Nohwike’ Bágowa (House of Our Footprints) Museum is open six days a week, and on Sundays May through September.

127 Scout St, Fort Apache, AZ 85926

928-338-1392 • FortApacheArizona.org

Fort Bowie National Historic Site

Located at Apache Springs near the national stageroad in the heart of Chiricahua territory, Fort Bowie National Historic Site can be reached by a short hike across the Butterfield Trail, past the spring and through the desert hills to a well-maintained set of the fort’s ruins and a historic cemetery.

3500 South Apache Pass Rd, Bowie, AZ 85605

520-847-2500 • NPS.gov

Fort Whipple

Founded in 1863, Fort Whipple was one of the army’s earliest outposts in central and northern Arizona during the American post-Civil War settlement of the Grand Canyon state. Gen. George Crook built the Crook Trail from Whipple to Fort Apache during the Yavapai War. Today, a historic museum is maintained in a 1909 Officer’s home on the post’s grounds, which today is a V.A. Hospital for northern Arizona.

AZ-89, Prescott, AZ 86303 • Sharlot.org

Grand Canyon National Park

The Grand Canyon is the traditional home and a sacred site to the Havasupai, Hualapai, Navajo, Hopi and Paiute Indians of northern Arizona. Grand Canyon National Park’s South Rim visitors center receives 5 million visitors annually. Don’t miss the exhibition on John Wesley Powell’s exploration of the Grand Canyon and his epic 1869 river run on the Green-Colorado.

PO Box 129 Grand Canyon, AZ 86023

928-638-7888 • NPS.gov

Holbrook

Founded in 1881 by the Santa Fe Railway, Holbrook quickly gained a reputation as one of the toughest towns in the Southwest. As the headquarters of the infamous Aztec Land & Cattle Company, aka the Hashknife Outfit, a walking/driving tour of the historic town once patrolled by legendary lawman Sheriff Commodore Perry Owens starts at the Historic Navajo County Courthouse.

928-524-6558 • CI.Holbrook.US.az

Picacho Peak State Historic Park

Just off Interstate 10, west of Casa Grande, the picturesque Picacho Peak can be seen for miles in every direction, a landmark for generations of travelers and the site of the Western most battle of the Civil War on April 15, 1862. Every March re-enactors gather and entertain thousands with a re-enactment of three battles: Picacho Peak, Glorieta and Val Verde, the latter two fought in New Mexico.

Picacho, AZ 85141 • 520-466-3183 • AZStateParks.com

Prescott

The historic and picturesque territorial capital of Arizona, Prescott is the perfect town in which to take a walk through state history. Start at Sharlot Hall, the living history center with numerous historic buildings, including the Territorial Governor’s Home, and walk down Gurley to Prescott’s historic Courthouse Square, where Solon Borglum’s Rough Riders bronze greets visitors to the park. Across the street take a walk down Montezuma, known as Whiskey Row, and visit the historic Palace Saloon.

928-445-2000 • Prescott.org

Queen Mine

The centerpiece historical site in downtown Bisbee is Phelps Dodge’s Queen Mine, one of the richest mineral bonanzas in state history. Retired miners lead the underground tours that take visitors on trams deep into the copper mine. After touring the mine, don’t miss an opportunity to walk through Bisbee’s historic district, including a tour of the Bisbee Mining and Historical Museum, and the legendary Copper Queen Hotel.

478 N Dart Rd, Bisbee, AZ 85603

520-432-2071 • QueenMineTour.com/DiscoverBisbee.com

Slaughter Ranch

Texas John Slaughter was a legendary lawman and rancher in southeastern Arizona during and after the Apache Wars and Earp-Cowboy feuds in Cochise County in the late 19th century. Today his San Bernardino Ranch is home to the Johnson Historical Museum of Southern Arizona and adjacent to the San Bernardino National Wildlife Refuge.

6153 Geronimo Trail, Douglas, AZ 85607

520-678-7596 • SlaughterRanch.com

Tombstone

“The town to tough to die,” Tombstone is Arizona’s most infamous territorial mining camp and is known internationally for the Earp-Clanton gunfight behind the O.K. Corral. Tour the Tombstone County Courthouse State Historic Park, take a walk through Boothill Graveyard, and park at one end of Allen Street and walk into history. Don’t miss visiting in the National Historic District Big Nose Kate’s Saloon, the Crystal Palace, C.S. Fly’s, O.K. Corral, the Bird Cage Saloon, Rose Tree Museum, Good Enough Mine Underground Tour and the Tombstone Epitaph Museum

888-457-3929 • TombstoneChamber.com

Tubac Presidio State Historic Park

Long before the British, the Spanish Empire extended its power around the globe including to North America’s Southwest including Arizona’s Santa Cruz River Valley. In 1752, the Spanish crown built Presidio San Agnacio de Tubac, the first permanent European community in Arizona. Don’t miss an opportunity to hike on the Juan Bautista De Anza Trail: the state park is a trailhead for the 4.5-mile segment to that leads to Tumacacori National Historical Park.

1 Burruel St, Tubac, AZ 85646

520-398-2252 • AZStateParks.com/NPS.gov

Warren Earp’s Grave

Warren Earp, the youngest brother of Virgil, Wyatt and Morgan, is buried in the Willcox Cemetery not too far from where he was gun downed by Johnny Boyette in Brown’s Saloon in 1900. After paying your respects at Warren’s monument, enjoy a visit to a museum dedicated to Cochise County’s very own, Rex Allen, at the Rex Allen “Arizona Cowboy” Museum & Willcox Cowboy Hall of Fame.

454 N. 3rd St., Willcox, AZ

ExploreCochise.com

Yuma

Near the confluence of the Gila and Colorado rivers, the U.S. Army built a post at the strategic crossing of the Colorado. Today the Yuma Quartermaster Depot State Historic Park provides a window into early territorial settlement, steamboat military, railroad and mining history. Across the highway from the depot is the notorious Yuma Territorial Prison State Historic Park, once one of the most feared prisons in the Old West.

201 N 4th Ave, Yuma, AZ 85364

928-783-0071 • VisitYuma.com

AZStateParks.com

NEW MEXICO

Battle of Glorieta Pass, Pecos National Historical Park

A separate unit from the main visitor center of Pecos National Historical Park, the Battle of Glorieta Pass commemorates the key battle between New Mexico forces and the Confederate army that had been attempting to secure Southern control over the Southwest. To walk the park’s 2.35-mile Glorieta Battlefield hiking trail, ask the rangers at the Pecos National Historical Park visitor center to provide you the gate code and a map.

NM-63, Pecos, NM 87552 • NPS.gov

El Morro National Monument

For centuries travelers across New Mexico would cite El Morro as a key landmark on their trail north and south from the Pueblo communities along the Rio Grande and New Spain’s settlements in Mexico. Many who paused and rested at the butte’s watering hole and carved their name into its sandstone face. With over 2,000 documented inscriptions, El Morro’s importance from ancient times to the present is documented at the monument’s visitor center and along the Inscription Trail to Inscription Rock, and the Headland Trail to Atsinna, the 875-room pueblo ruin atop El Morro.

Ice Caves Rd, Grants, NM 87020

505-783-4226 • NPS.gov

Fort Bayard National Historic Landmark

Built in the territory of New Mexico east of Silver City in 1866, Fort Bayard was an army camp until 1900 when it became a military hospital. Adjacent to the former hospital (closed in 2010) is the Fort Bayard National Cemetery, opened in 1866, and operated by the Veteran’s Administration. The museum is open every Monday, April through September and by appointment only October through March.

3rd St & D Ave, Fort Bayard, NM •

575-956-3294 • FortBayard.org/SilverCityTourism.org

Fort Selden Historic Site

Built in 1865 along the Rio Grande River in the Mesilla Valley, Fort Selden was an important army post in the Southwestern Apache wars until its closure in 1891. Fort Selden Historic Site is just ten miles north of Las Cruces, where visitors can tour the visitor center, walk through the adobe ruins and enjoy occasional living history events with re-enactors in period dress on weekends during the summer.

1233 Fort Selden Rd, Las Cruces, NM 88007

575-647-9585 • NMHistoricsites.org

Fort Stanton Historic Site

Built in 1855, Fort Stanton was a key territorial outpost in the army’s war with the Mescalero Apache tribe until its closure in 1896. The fort’s soldiers were also called into service during local conflicts, including the Lincoln County War between Billy the Kid and his Regulators fighting for the Tunstall-McSween faction and the Murphy-Dolan faction. Just ten miles from Lincoln, visitors should start their tour at the one Fort Stanton Museum before taking a walking tour of the 240-acre site, which has 88 historic buildings.

104 Kit Carson Rd, Fort Stanton, NM 88323

575-354-0341 • NMHistoricsites.org

Fort Sumner Historic Site/Bosque Redondo Memorial

During the Civil War, the U.S. fought a war with the Navajo people that led to the tribe’s defeat and long walk to incarceration adjacent to Fort Sumner at the Bosque Redondo Reservation. The miserable location for the 8,500 Navajos led the tribe to negotiate a peace settlement that allowed the tribe to return with sovereignty to their traditional lands in the Four Corners region. Over 500 Mescalero Apaches who had also been incarcerated at Bosque Redondo fled the reservation in 1865. Visitors should tour the museum and walk the Old Fort Site and River Walk trails. The outlaw Billy the Kid was killed in the town of Fort Sumner on July 14, 1881, and is buried in the village cemetery.

707 N 4th St, Fort Sumner, NM 88119

575-355-7705 • NMHistoricsites.org

Fort Union National Monument

One of the most significant U.S. army posts in eastern New Mexico, Fort Union National Monument preserves, protects and interprets the history of the camp that was built at the crossroads of the Santa Fe Trail’s Mountain and Cimarron Cut-off trails. Re-enactors hold regular events at the monument and visitors will enjoy the many tours of the grounds and the fort’s well-preserved ruins.

Nm-161, Ocate, NM 87734

505-425-8025 • NPS.gov

Kit Carson Home and Museum

Located in the center of Taos, Kit Carson’s family adobe has been preserved as a museum that interprets his dramatic—and controversial—life as a mountain man, explorer, trailblazer, soldier and family man.

113 Kit Carson Rd, Taos, NM 87571

575-758-4945 • KitCarsonMuseum.org

Lincoln

In the annals of Western U.S. history, the humble town of Lincoln’s notorious past is synonymous with the violence that plagued the West, and especially the New Mexico Territory after the Civil War. The historic buildings in the center of town are managed, interpreted and preserved as a New Mexico Historic Site. Visitors can walk the streets of Lincoln and stride in the footsteps of the Regulators, Billy the Kid, Pat Garrett, John Tunstall, Alexander McSween, Lawrence G. Murphy and James J. Dolan. Stay the weekend at the Dolan House, Ellis Store or Wortley Hotel. Tour the 17 historic structures, (call ahead for scheduled openings), including the Old Lincoln County Courthouse, the Tunstall Store, Montaño store, the 1850s stone Torreon, San Juan Mission Church and the Anderson-Freeman Museum. Old Lincoln Days are held every August and reenactors entertain tourists with some of the most infamous moments of the Lincoln County War, including Billy’s dramatic escape from the Lincoln County Jail.

Highway 380 Mm 97.5, Lincoln,, NM 88338

575 653-4025 • NMHistoricsites.org

Mesilla

Founded in 1848, Mesilla is one of the oldest settlements on the southern Rio Grande River Valley in New Mexico and was an important crossroads for territorial trade and travel on the El Camino Real and Southern Overland Route of the Butterfield Stage Line. Mesilla’s historic plaza is where U.S. troops from Fort Fillmore raised the American flag after the conclusion of the Gadsden Purchase in 1853. The short-lived capital of the Confederacy in New Mexico during the Civil War, in the 1870s and 1880s Mesilla’s popular saloons and dance halls for law-abiding citizens and outlaws, including Billy the Kid. Visitors should tour the historic plaza (the Kid was tried and sentenced to die in the historic building that is home to the modern Billy the Kid Giftshop), the local Gadsden Museum and the New Mexico Ranch & Farm Museum in nearby Las Cruces.

2231 Avenida de Mesilla, Mesilla, NM 88046

575-524 3262 • OldMesilla.org

Palace of the Governors

Built of adobe in the early 1600s as New Spain’s seat of government in New Mexico, today it is the state’s preeminent museum and archives of the city, state and region’s history. A Registered National Historic Landmark and American Treasure, the Palace of the Governors is the oldest occupied public building in the United States. The New Mexico History Museum opened next door to the Palace on Santa Fe’s Historic Plaza in 2009 and is dedicated to the ancient multi-cultural history of the Land of Enchantment state.

105 W Palace Ave, Santa Fe, NM 87501

505-476-5100 • PalaceOfTheGovernors.org/NMHistoryMuseum.org

Pat Garrett Murder Site Historical Marker

Sheriff Pat Garrett became famous for his killing of Billy the Kid, but along the way the notorious and controversial lawman made many enemies in many powerful moneyed circles in the territory of New Mexico. One morning, Garrett’s life ended violently, much like he lived his own, and a marker commemorates his assassination in Dona Ana County.

Jornada Rd & I-70 Service Rd., Las Cruces, NM

HistoricMarkers.org

St. James Hotel

In Cimarron, the historic St. James Hotel bears the bullet holes in its ceiling as evidence of its Wild West past as a Lambert’s Saloon before the proprietors expanded it into a popular hotel. Many well-known Westerners traveling along the Santa Fe Railway stopped for the night, including Buffalo Bill Cody, who was a friend of the owners—French chef Henri Lambert and his wife, Mary. Today, the historic hotel welcomes guests to enjoy the vintage, well-appointed rooms and a meal and drink at the restaurant and saloon.

617 S. Collison Cimarron, NM 87714

575-376-2664 • ExStJames.com

Village of Columbus/Camp Furlong

On March 9, 1916, Mexican revolutionary Gen. Francisco “Pancho” Villa led a raid into the United States across the border into the Village of Columbus and past the troops stationed at Camp Furlong. With nearly 500 Villistas riding hard wantonly through the town, the revolutionaries set fire to downtown before suffering dozens of losses. Today, the only attack on U.S. soil by foreign invaders until 9/11 is remembered at Pancho Villa State Park, the former Camp Furlong from which Gen. Jack Pershing led 10,000 soldiers into Mexico in search of Villa.

224 Lima Ave, Columbus, NM 88029

575-531-0046 • ColumbusNewMexico.com

OKLAHOMA

101 Ranch Memorial

The internationally renowned Miller Brothers’ 101 Ranch Wild West Show, billed as “The Greatest Show of the West,” toured the world from 1905 to 1939. During the Miller Brothers heyday, the Oklahoma family empire included vast land holdings, oil wells and international fame. The 101 Ranch Old Timers Association owns 72 acres of the original ranch site and in 1996 opened the public picnic area. Visit the E.W. Marland’s Grand Home Museum in Ponca City to see the official 101 Ranch Collection and 101 Ranch Old Timers Association Museum. Visit Ponca City in June to experience the annual celebration since 1960 of the great 101 Ranch Wild West Show at the 101 Ranch Rodeo.

On SH 156, 13 miles SW of Ponca City

101RanchOTA.com/KayCounty.info/MarlandGrandHome.com

Chisholm Trail Heritage Center

In Duncan, Oklahoma, The Chisholm Trail Heritage Center is located north of the Red River along the historic Chisholm Trail. An interactive museum with regularly scheduled events activities inside the exhibit hall and outside on the museum’s grounds, the centerpiece of the Chisholm Trail Heritage Center is the Garis Gallery of the American West. In addition to the museum’s extraordinary Western art collection, visitors will enjoy both permanent and temporary exhibitions that celebrate the history and culture of the Chisholm Trail, American cowboy and the West. When walking the museum grounds, don’t miss Paul Moore’s On the Chisholm Trail bronze that greets visitors at the entrance to the Heritage Center.

1000 Chisholm Trail Parkway Duncan, OK 73533

580-252-6692 • OnTheChisholmTrail.com

Fort Gibson Historic Site

A national historic landmark, Fort Gibson dates to 1824 when the U.S. army began exploring the region. A key post during the Indian Removal era it was closed in 1857. After the Civil War started the fort was reoccupied and became a key military outpost until 1890. Tours should start at the Commissary Visitor Center on Garrison Hill and proceed through the reconstructed log fort, and historic buildings constructed between the 1840s and 1870s. Visitors also enjoy reenactors leading living history programs and events during the year.

110 E Ash Ave, Fort Gibson, OK 74434

918-478-4088 • OKHistory.org

Fort Sill National Historic Landmark & Museum

One of the most significant historical military museums in Old West history, the Fort Sill National Historic Landmark and Museum is dedicated to the interpretation of nearly a century of American and Indian history in the region, including the post-Civil War engagements with the Southern Plains tribes. Fort Sill was enlarged in 1894 when the Chiricahua Indians imprisoned for nearly a decade in Florida and Alabama were moved permanently to a reservation at the military base. The interactive history facility boasts 38 buildings and curates over 235,000 objects at the 142-acre Historic Landmark. The museum is completely dedicated to its historic era, while the US Army Field Artillery Museum has been a separate institution since 2008.

437 Quanah Rd, Fort Sill, OK 73503 • 918-478-4088

580-442-5123 • Sill-WWW.Army.mil

Fort Supply Historic Site

Founded out of necessity during the winter of 1868 to support the army’s war with the Southern Plains tribes in Western Oklahoma, Fort Supply was a key outpost in the Indian Territory for 25 years until its closure in 1894. Today, five original buildings including the 1875 and a replica of the 1868 stockade can be toured at the site. Visitors should start at the restored and furnished 1892 brick guardhouse, which houses Fort Supply’s exhibitions.

1 William S Key Blvd, Fort Supply, OK 73841

580-256-6136 • OKHistory.org

Fort Towson Historic Site

Built in 1824 to protect early settler in the Arkansas Territory, Fort Towson was a key border outpost between Mexico and the United States prior to the Texas Revolution. The Choctaw and Chickasaw encamped at the fort before settlement in the Indian Territory, U.S forces prepared for war against Mexico at the fort in 1846 before it was closed in 1856. The Confederate army had its headquarters at the abandoned fort and in 1865 the final Southern surrender, by Gen. Stand Watie, occurred at Fort Towson. Visitors can tour the Suttler’s Store, 18 interpretive sites on a walking tour, and enjoy regularly scheduled living history demonstrations throughout the year at the site of the historic fort.

896 N 4375 Rd, Fort Towson, OK 74735

580-873-2634 • OKHistory.org

Honey Springs Battlefield Historic Site

North of Checotah and adjacent to Rentiesville, the Honey Springs Battlefield Historic Site commemorates and honors the largest of 107 engagements in the Indian Territory during the Civil War. Visitors can walk six different trails across the 1,100-acre park and learn about the Battle of Honey Springs on July 17, 1863 at 55 interpretive sites. The Union’s decisive defeat of the Confederate forces has earned the battle the nickname “Gettysburg of the Indian Territory.” A new visitor center is under construction in Rentiesville.

101601 South 4232 Road Checotah, OK 74426

918-473-5572 • OKHistory.org

National Cowboy Western & Heritage Museum

Founded in 1955 in Oklahoma’s capital city, the National Cowboy Hall of Fame and Museum is one of the preeminent museums in the United States dedicated to the cultural history and heritage of the American West. Annually more than 10 million visitors tour its Western art galleries, Old West and American Indian history galleries, and its three hall of fames: Hall of Great Westerners, Hall of Great Western Performers and Rodeo Hall of Fame.

1700 NE 63rd St, Oklahoma City, OK 73111

405-478-2250 • NationalCowboyMuseum.org

Oklahoma Territorial Museum

In Guthrie, the Oklahoma Territorial Museum and Carnegie Library is the centerpiece of the historic downtown district that honors and celebrates the Oklahoma’s transformation from Indian Territory to statehood that began with the 1889 land run. The downtown district is on the Register of Historic Places and is the largest contiguous urban historic district in the country. Begin your tour of the Guthrie Museum Complex in the museum at the territorial and first state capital building before taking a walking tour of the historic city.

406 E Oklahoma Ave, Guthrie, OK 73044

405-282-1889 • OKTerritorialMuseum.org

Washita Battlefield National Historic Site

The Lt. Col. George A. Custer led U.S. 7th Cavalry surprise attack at dawn on the Southern Cheyenne village of Peace Chief Black Kettle on November 27, 1868 is commemorated at the Washita Battlefield National Historic Site. Follow the 1.5 mile trail from the overlook to the site of Black Kettle’s village and learn about the tragic conflict between the U.S. and the Southern Plains Indian tribes.

426 E. Broadway Cheyenne, Oklahoma 73628

580-497-2742 • NPS.gov

TEXAS

The Alamo

Internationally the most recognized historical site in the state of Texas, the Alamo is a Shrine of Texas Liberty and those who tour its sacred grounds should revere it as hallowed ground. Built originally by Spanish pioneers in 1718, the Mission San Antonio de Valero was abandoned in the 1790s. By 1836 and the Texas War of Independence the mission was known best by its nickname “El Alamo” renamed by Spanish soldiers in the early 1800s. Visitors to the Alamo will enjoy the various tour opportunities of the mission and battlefield site, history talks, audio tours, regularly scheduled special events and the unique Phil Collins Collection of Alamo and Texas history.

300 Alamo Plaza, San Antonio, TX 78205

210-225-1391 • TheAlamo.org

Concordia Cemetery

Take a walk back into time in El Paso’s historic Concordia Cemetery, the eternal resting place for the famous and infamous, valiant and brave, humble and unknown. El Pasoans have buried their dead in the graveyard since the first soul was interred in the 1840s. Managed by the Concordia Heritage Association to protect, preserve and maintain the historic cemetery, visitors can walk its grounds and see outlaw John Wesley Hardin’s grave as well as John Selman’s, the lawman who put Hardin in Concordia. Don’t miss the special section dedicated to Buffalo Soldiers, the graves of Texas Rangers, Civil War veterans and the innumerable headstones of El Paso’s citizenry forgotten with time.

3700 E. Yandell Dr., El Paso, TX 79903

915-842-8200 • ConcordiaCemetery.org

Enchanted Rock State Natural Area

An ancient dome of granite in Texas’s Hill Country, Enchanted Rock has been a landmark to the peoples of the region for thousands of years. Protected in a state natural area, the landmark 425-fott pink granite outcropping, has over 400 archeological sites, and held sacred by many tribes. Enchanted Rock was the site of a famous shootout between Texas Ranger Capt. Jack Hays and a band of Comanches in 1841. Today, visitors can hike its trails, explore the granite dome and star gaze, all the while considering why the local Tonkawa believed the granite dome was the “Glowing, singing rock.”

16710 Ranch Rd. 965, Fredericksburg, TX 78624

830-685-3636 • TPWD.State.Tx.gov

First Battle of Adobe Walls Site Historic Marker and Second Battle of Adobe Walls-Battle Ground Marker

Southern Plains pioneer and proprietor William Bent built an adobe trading post on Bent Creek north of the Canadian River in 1843. Five years after his initial log cabin, expanded into an adobe fort, was built, he closed and blew up his 80-square foot outpost because of Indian attacks. In November 1864 and then in June 1874, the ruins of Bent’s adobe fort became ingrained in Western history as the site of the First and Second Battle of Adobe Walls, respectively. Visit the Hutchison County Historical Museum in Borger to learn more about the local history, culture and the two Battles of Adobe Walls.

Borger COC • 613 N. Main, Borger, TX 79008

806-274-2211 • BorgerChamber.org

Fort Concho National Historic Landmark

Built in 1867 as a strategic U.S. Army outpost during the post-Civil War conflict with the Southern Plains tribes, Fort Concho served its purpose effectively until it was closed in 1889. The City of San Angelo operates the historic landmark, museum and preservation of 23 fort buildings. Walk in the footsteps of soldiers and their families who lived at the fort and tour Officers Row and Quarters, the Enlisted Men’s Barracks, Post Headquarters, Hospital, School House and Chapel. Fort Concho is also the site of numerous annual living history events including Buffalo Soldier Heritage Day in February and Fort Concho Frontier Day in April.

630 S. Oakes St., San Angelo, TX 76903

325-481-2646 • FortConcho.com

Fort Davis National Historic Site

From 1854 to 1891, Fort Davis played a strategic military role in the settlement of West Texas and the protection of travelers on the San Antonio-El Paso Road. Today, Fort Davis National Historic Site is one of the best examples of frontier posts that played such a critical role in the Indian Wars with the Comanche, Apache and Kiowa in the American Southwest. Visitors can tour the fort’s restored and re-furnished buildings on a self-guided tour, and enjoy regular scheduled living history events with reenactors in period and military dress, including an annual Independence Day celebration.

101 Lt. Henry Flipper Dr., Fort Davis, TX 79734

432-426-3224 • NPS.gov

Fort Worth Stockyards National Historic District

From 1866 to 1890, Texas cowboys drove the cattle north to market, and in the early days, Fort Worth was a last stop before the trail boss headed his outfit and herd north across the Red River across Oklahoma to the rail heads in Kansas. After the railroad arrived in 1876, Fort Worth became a shipping station and the first stockyards were built. For the next seven decades, Fort Worth developed into the nation’s largest stockyard and livestock exchange in the nation. In the 1970s, with the steady decline in the cattle business and packing houses in the city, the Fort Worth Historical Society was created to preserve the historic district. Today, the Fort Worth Stockyards National Historic District is one of the most visited tourist attractions in the state (don’t miss the twice a day longhorn cattle drives), and cattle are still sold at the Livestock Exchange Building every week—via satellite.